


So I'm Takin Your Narrative And I'm Makin It Mine

by Rine3195



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, F/M, I'm sorry Hidgens fans but Robert DID say he was a villain, Like so much angst, Physical Abuse, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:34:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24823924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rine3195/pseuds/Rine3195
Summary: "Scale from one to ten, Paul. How would you rate your pain?"Paul was able to wheeze out a weak "T-ten." before coughing."Interesting." Hidgens mumbled, writing something else on his clipboard. "Any other comments, concerns, questions?"Paul coughed again and nodded. "I h-hate your f-fucking guts."
Relationships: Henry Hidgens & Paul Matthews, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins, Paul Matthews/John McNamara, sort of?
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	So I'm Takin Your Narrative And I'm Makin It Mine

Paul yelled as the electric shocks coursed through him. The pain. It was so fucking impossible to ignore, to block out. The tremors running through his body made him jolt and shake. He strained at his bonds, the leather straps and metal buckles digging into his skin. He glared at the figure in the corner making notes. 

"Paul, it wouldn't hurt so much if you'd just stay still." Hidgens sighed, rolling his eyes and scribbling a few more notes.

Paul weakly flipped him off. Hidgens clicked his tongue. "Shouldn't have done that." He clicked the button again, and more waves of electricity ran through Paul's body. He was too weak to scream any more, so he just shook his head and struggled with the straps tying him down. Which did make the shocks hurt more, goddammit.

Paul wasn't sure how long the shocks lasted for, only that it felt too long. When they finally eased up, he felt his fingers twitching. Scratch that. His whole body was twitching. He faintly heard footsteps coming closer and cursed inwardly. 

"So, Paul. How would you rate your pain?"

Paul groaned and tried to hold up ten fingers, but his fingers were twitching too bad. Thankfully, Hidgens mercifully waited for Paul to take a breath before he repeated himself. "Scale from one to ten, Paul. How would you rate your pain?"

Paul was able to wheeze out a weak "T-ten." before coughing.

"Interesting." Hidgens mumbled, writing something else on his clipboard. "Any other comments, concerns, questions?"

Paul coughed again and nodded. "I h-hate your f-fucking guts."

Hidgens nodded solemnly, but there was a smug smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "I'll make a note of that." 

"W-why are you d-doing this to me?" Paul asked, on the verge of tears. "I d-didn't do an-anything wrong-g."

Hidgens smiled at him, an awful, twisted version of his old, kindly smile. "Isn't that what makes it fun, Paul? I've got plenty of other fun games for you and I to play."

"P-please j-just let m-me out." Paul mumbled, closing his eyes. He didn't want to see this twisted version of Hidgens anymore. 

Hidgens sighed. "I suppose I could." He undid the arm restraints and stepped away. "I think you can unbind your own legs." he called, starting to walk up the stairs. Paul let his arms go slack, the will to punch Hidgens in the face being replaced with sheer exhaustion. He let his tiredness overtake him and sank into a mercifully dreamless sleep. But his torment wasn't finished. In fact, it was far from over.

Paul was woken up by the door to the basement slamming open. He felt a little bit better after sleeping, so he leaned down and started to unbuckle his leg restraints. His fingers were still a little bit twitchy, but he was finally able to undo the straps and circled his ankles, starting to regain some feeling in them again. Hidgens threw a granola bar at him and it almost hit him in the face. He glared, but started to unwrap the bar tentatively. Paul knew that if he had even a little bit more strength, he'd get up and punch Hidgens. But this wasn't Hidgens, not even close. 

"Enjoy the granola bar. It's all you're getting today."

Paul ate the granola bar very fast. Maybe too fast. He felt better after he ate it, and decided that now was a good time to achieve his dream of decking Hidgens in the face. So as Hidgens walked over to him, he struggled to his feet and punched him in the face. It wasn't a very hard punch, but it was enough to send Hidgens staggering back and checking his nose. It wasn't bleeding, unfortunately. But something flashed in Hidgens's eyes; he walked over and, cool as a cucumber, pulled out a syringe and injected Paul in the arm.

He didn't know what was in it, but whatever it was, it made Paul's legs go weak and he sank back down into the chair. "What was that?" Paul groaned, head tipping to one side.

"Paralyzer. Only temporary, don't worry. Made it myself."

"Ah, I forgot. You're a _scientist_." Paul said sarcastically, feeling his arms go slack. 

"Not like I stopped being one, Paul." Hidgens replied, leaning down and starting to refasten his leg restraints. "That didn't stop just because I started running these….experiments."

"They might have started out as experiments, but they aren't anymore. Now you're just doing things to me for the sake of it."

Hidgens laughed, an absolutely bone-chilling sound. "You think they were experiments at first? Really? Oh, good god."

Paul practically felt his heart stutter and stop. "You hurt me on purpose? You were hurting me on purpose the whole time?"

Hidgens sighed. "You're such a fucking dumbass.” he murmered, tightening the restraint around Paul’s left leg too tight. "Can't believe _they_ want you when you're like this."

The way Hidgens said _they_ freaked Paul out. "Who is ' _they_?'" Paul asked, trying desperately to pick his arms up from the chair. But they wouldn't budge.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough." Hidgens laughed, securing the leg restraints and moving to the arm bonds. He fastened them in complete silence and turned to walk away. Then he paused. "Do you want anything, Paul?" His tone was deceptively gentle, a lure on the hook of a fishing line. But Paul still bit. He had to ask. "Emma. I want to see Emma."

Hidgens turned around, looking genuinely concerned. “Oh, dear dear dear. You didn’t know? Oh, shit. I didn’t tell you. Probably for the best.” He said the last sentence mostly to himself. 

Paul was confused. “What do you mean?”

Hidgens walked over to Paul slowly, like he was approaching a wounded animal. “Emma, um. Said she didn’t wish to see you anymore.”

Paul’s stomach dropped. “What?” he whispered. It came out strangled.

“Yes. I’m sorry you had to hear it from me. She was very adamant.” Hidgens actually looked almost apologetic. Was it another lie? "I don't believe you." Paul said stubbornly, refusing to believe it was true.

Hidgens shook his head sadly. "I wish I was lying. Trust me. Emma told me herself. She doesn't want to see you."

Paul couldn't breathe. It felt like his throat was closing up. He tried to rock back and forth, but he still couldn't move. Hidgens sighed, moving behind Paul. "I truly am sorry-"

"Why? Did she give any reason?"

Hidgens sighed again. "No. It was very strange. She was cold about the whole thing. Detached."

Paul felt tears building up again. Hidgens came back into view again. Had his eyes always been that blue? "I'm sorry, but I should tell you, um. McNamara and Emma have been seen together a lot lately."

Paul squinted at him. Hidgens held up his hands defensively. "It's just something I noticed. Just remember, no matter what, I'll always be here for you."

"Well, I think you should go fuck yourself." Paul choked out.

Hidgens shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't expecting that." he said, walking up the stairs.

Paul closed his eyes and a memory flooded over him. 

_"Paul, you do realize that Uno is a child's game, correct?" McNamara raised his eyebrows at him as Paul slapped another card down very aggressively._

_"A child's game that I'm about to win, General. Uno."_

Paul remembered the way McNamara had shook his head at him, a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. He had been so kind to Paul, meeting with him and playing card games in the hospital with him every day. 

Emma didn't want to see him. Another memory arrived.

" _Where the hell have you been keeping the chocolate?" He took the dark chocolate eagerly from Emma, ignoring Bill and Ted's arguing in the background._

_She grinned at him. "You don't wanna know." Off of Paul's shocked look, she laughed and continued. "I've got pockets in my shorts, you weirdo! God, mind out of the gutter!"_

_Paul nudged her shoulder and they started giggling like toddlers. Her smile was so pretty, and it gave him the courage to kiss her cheek._

She had smiled at him, so wide it looked like her face would split in two; touched her cheek, dazed. Had she been lying to him? Why was she ignoring him and spending time with McNamara?

Were they-

No. No, that thought was insane. Maybe he was going insane. That was a good possibility.

But the thought had dug its claws into his mind and it was starting to make a strange amount of sense.

 _No. Go to sleep_ , the last sensible part of his brain protested. _Maybe things'll be better when you wake up._

So Paul drifted off to sleep again. But it would only get worse in the morning. 

In fact, though he didn't know it, this was one of Paul's last days sane.

**Author's Note:**

> Huzzah for the darkest thing I've ever written!  
> This is inspired by my friend Joc's absolutely GENIUS hospital au find her and the au on Tumblr @mooooooosicals!


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